Bacterial profile of diarrhoeal disease in Benin City

Out of a total number of 1777 stool specimens collected from patients with gastrointestinal disorders in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital in the period January to December 1979, only 101 samples (5·7%) yielded recognized enteric pathogens on culture. These were 47 Salmonella spp. (of groups B, C, D) (46·5%); 39 Shigella samples (38·6%); seven Escherichia coli samples (6·9%); seven Vibrio cholerae samples (6·9%) and one Staphylococcus aureus sample (1%). The results of sensitivity tests carried out on these 101 isolates showed the frequency of resistance to be as follows: ampicillin 53%, tetracycline 45%, chloramphenicol and streptomycin 25% each. © 1982 The Society of Community Medicine.